Shadow Aged Care Minister ClareONeilMP says the federal government needs to address the “fundamental issues” facing how aged care workers are valued if they want to see real reform of the sector.
Shadow Aged Care Minister Clare O’Neil says the federal government needs to address the “fundamental issues” facing how aged care workers are valued if they want to see real reform of the sector.
“We’ve got an aging population and the productivity commission has told us that we’re going to have to move from what are roughly 300,000 people working in aged care today to a million by 2050,” she said. “So somehow we’re going to have to grow this sector by 700,000 people over the next 30 years - we’re not going to be able to do that when these are some of the lowest paid people in the economy.
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‘Frustrating’ to see government ‘patting itself on the back’ over aged care funding | Sky News AustraliaShadow Aged Care Minister Clare O’Neil says it has been “frustrating” to see the government “patting itself on the back” for increasing aged care funding when it was responsible for “bringing the sector to its knees”.\n\n“They have cut year on year while Scott Morrison was treasurer in fact to the point where today we’ve got an aged care system where two thirds of residents in aged care are malnourished or at risk of being malnourished,” she said.\n\n“These are people who are in the care of the Australian government and they’re literally not getting enough nutrition every day. \n\n“We’ve got a homecare waitlist that’s got 100,000 people on it and tragically in the last two years 26,000 Australians died waiting for the care that they need.\n\n“What I’d love to see tonight is see the government break a habit of a lifetime and just express a little bit of contrition for the fact that they’ve allowed things to get to this point which has caused enormous agony for thousands and thousands of Australian families”. \n\nMs O’Neil told Sky News there was no way the sector can “truly” change until the “staggering” issues facing the aged care workforce are addressed. \n
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Spending on aged care to do 'wonders' for unemployment figures | Sky News AustraliaNational Seniors Australia Chief Advocate Ian Henschke says “one of the most important things” Health Minister Greg Hunt can do to reform the aged care sector is “rollout training programs across the country.” \n\nHe pointed out because of international border closures many people who would have normally been employed in the sector are not currently in Australia. \n\nMr Henschke also referenced an address given by former aged care minister Ken Wyatt around the time the Royal Commission into Aged Care was announced. \n\n“He said we’re going to need 600,000 extra workers in aged care over the next 30 years, that’s 20,000 workers a year so really we should be training a couple of thousand people a month,” he told Sky News. \n\n“The good news about that is then if the government does accept that reform then that will actually do a lot to bring down unemployment. \n\n“So in fact spending money on aged care is actually going to do wonders for the unemployment figures in this country.” \n\nMr Henschke flagged, however, wages would need to be raised by about 30 to 50 per cent if the training programs were rolled out out because “no one’s going to be going and doing this work unless you pay people.” \n\n\n\n
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Aged care investment welcomed but there needs to be ‘commitment to transparency’ | Sky News AustraliaOlder Persons Advocacy Network Chief Executive Craig Gear has told Sky News the Morrison government’s multi-billion-dollar boost to aged care is pleasing but there needs to be a “commitment to transparency”.\n\nThe Morrison government is expected to deliver a massive boost in funding for the aged and childcare sectors in the upcoming budget on Tuesday night.\n\nThe government will unveil a $17.7 billion cash injection for the aged care industry across four years, while also providing a full response to the recent Aged Care Royal Commission recommendations.\n\n“It’s pleasing that there’s been significant commitment to investment but there needs to be commitment to transparency as well.”\n
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Treasurer announces funding for NDIS and aged care | Sky News AustraliaTreasurer Josh Frydenberg has revealed a further $13.2 billion will be invested over four years to 'meet the needs of Australians with a disability' stating 'under the Coalition, the NDIS will always be fully funded'.\n\n'The NDIS has made Australia a better country, profoundly improving the lives of people with a disability and their families,' he said.\n\n'A new wheelchair, home modifications, care in the home, and transport to work. Today 450,000 people are receiving disability support. In the last year alone, more than 100,000 people have joined the scheme.'\n\nMr Frydenberg also revealed the commitment of $17.7 billion in new funding to significantly improve the aged care system, funding another 80,000 new home care packages, bringing the total to 275,000. \n\n'We will increase the time nurses and carers are required to spend with residents,' he said. \n\n'We will make an additional payment of $10 per resident per day to enhance the viability and sustainability of the residential aged care system. We will support over 33,000 new training places for personnel carers and new personal carers, and a new Indigenous workforce. \n\n'We will provide retention bonuses to keep more aged care nurses in aged care, we will increase the respite care for nurses, and strengthen the regulatory regime to monitor and enforce standards of care. We will upgrade essential aged care infrastructure in regional and remote areas around the country.'\n\nThis investment brings record investment in aged care to over $119 billion over the next four years.\n\n'We are committed to restoring trust in the system and allowing Australians to age with dignity and respect,' the treasurer said.
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Aged care $17.7 billion spend fails to address 'underpaid' workers in sector | Sky News AustraliaThe CEO of Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has urged the Morrison government to address wages in the aged care workforce.\n\nOver the next five years the aged care system will undergo a major overhaul in a bid to reform the system with a $17.7 billion spending increase.\n\nThe ACSA CEO Patricia Sparrow noted wages had not been addressed by the Coalition in the budget but were another area in aged care in need of reform.\n\n“We do obviously need to address wages in aged care,' she said. \n\n'Our staff do remarkable work. They’re undervalued and underpaid. Last night’s budget didn’t have particular measures around that.'\n
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